Guide to the Britta C. Dwyer Papers 1985-1985
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Britta C. Dwyer Papers
- Creator
- Dwyer, Britta C.
- Collection Number
- MSS 760
- Extent
- 2.5 linear feet (3 boxes)
- Date
- 1985-1985
- Abstract
- Dr. Britta C. Dwyer was born in 1935, received her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989, and currently lives in Cambridge, England working as an independent art historian. The Dr. Britta C. Dwyer Papers contain papers relating to her dissertation research while she was a doctorate student at the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation is titled 19th-Century Regional Women Artists: The Pittsburgh School of Design for Women, 1865-1904.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Dr. Britta C. Dwyer was born on December 10, 1935. She earned her bachelor's degree from Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1981, followed by her master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1985. She married John H. Dwyer, a well-known child psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. John H. Dwyer died in 1998. At the time this collection was processed, Dr. Britta C. Dwyer was living in Cambridge, England working as an independent art historian.
Dr. Britta C. Dwyer is most known for her work as an art historian. In August 1989, Dwyer earned her doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation, 19th-Century Regional Women Artists: The Pittsburgh School of Design for Women, 1865-1904, examines the social, economic, and political circumstances in European nations and in America which prompted the establishment of the first design schools in the United States. In addition, it examines Pittsburgh women's social backgrounds and changing roles in context of the city's industrialization.
In 1999 she published a book titled, Anna Klumpke: A Turn-of-the Century Painter and her World . She also has written a number of articles on Klumpke and other fin-de-siècle women artists.
Scope and Content Notes
The Dr. Britta C. Dwyer Papers contain materials relating specifically to Dwyer's research for her dissertation. The materials, primarily photocopied reference materials, date back to the 1850s and continue through the 1980s, include newspaper clippings, photographs, sketches, notes, previous papers Dwyer wrote, and slides. The newspaper articles in this collection are copies from the late nineteenth century and are mostly from the Pittsburgh Bulletin.
The materials in the collection retain Dr. Dwyer's original arrangement and organization.
Box one contains six small boxes of slides, as well as brochures, miscellaneous publications, and postcards. The boxes of slides contain several labels including: Lady Artists of Pittsburgh, School of Design in Pittsburgh, and Agnes C. Way. Many of the slides appear to be reproductions of older paintings, sketches, and portraits. One box of slides is from a Carnegie Library Scrapbook. Box one also contains a range of brochures and newspaper clippings. Some of these brochures are related to Western Pennsylvania locations and its history.
Box two contains research materials about artisit George Hetzel, Pittsburgh women, exhibitions/expositions, the Western Pennsylvania Exposition Society, and information about the Arts Students League, Pittsburgh Artist Association, and Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. Many of the materials, which consist of photocopies from various books or journals, and papers written by other students, contain annotations.
Box three contains information about the Pittsburgh School of Design, artist Minnie Darlington, and newspaper clippings. The newspaper articles in this collection are copies from the late nineteenth century and are mostly from the Pittsburgh Bulletin . In addition, there are several photographs, slides, and negatives relating to the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women. There are photocopies of sketches, photographs, and portraits of people associated with the school.
Arrangement
This collection was arranged similarly to how it arrived, with categories of materials previously designated. Folders are given a specific numbers within a category in order to preserve the original order of the collection.
Conditions Governing Access
None
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Britta Dwyer in 2002.
Archives accession # 2002.0013
Preferred Citation
Britta C. Dwyer Papers, 1985-1985, MSS 760 , Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
Preliminary processing by Pam Richter on 04/06/2012.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
In addition to her research papers, Britta Dwyer also donated several books to the Library as welll.
Subjects
- Dwyer, Britta C., 1935-
- University of Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh School of Design for Women.(Pa.)